In a photolithography process in the manufacture of a semiconductor device, a resist film is formed, a developing solution is supplied to a substrate exposed along a predetermined pattern, and a resist pattern is formed. For example, a developing apparatus has been used in a developing process in which a developing solution is discharged from a developing solution nozzle toward a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter referred to as “wafer”) that is horizontally held to form a liquid stagnation on the surface of the wafer W, and the liquid stagnation is expanded on the wafer W by the movement of a developing solution nozzle and the rotation of the wafer W.
In such a developing apparatus, when the rotation speed of a substrate as the wafer is high, there is a possibility that liquid splash occurs in which the developing solution rebounds when the developing solution discharged from the nozzle comes into contact with the surface of the wafer. For this reason, a manufacturer prepares a recommended process recipe for preventing liquid from splashing and incorporates the process recipe into a developing apparatus.
Moreover, when using a coating and developing apparatus, a user may sometimes change a recipe in a developing process in order to control the line width and default of a pattern formed on a wafer. At that time, depending on the rotation speed of the wafer in the process recipe, the supply amount of a processing liquid or the like, liquid splash may easily occur. Thus, there is a possibility that the entire module is contaminated or a possibility that droplets accumulate on a nozzle arm and eventually fall due to the accumulated mass.